Modern requirements for a computer system may require that a computer be utilized to run several operating environments at once. In a typical embodiment, a single logically partitioned computer can run a plurality of operating environments in a corresponding plurality of logical partitions. Each operating environment, or operating system, resides in its own logical partition, with each logical partition allocated a part of a processor, an entire processor, or multiple processors of the computer. Additionally, a portion of the computer's memory is allocated to each logical partition. From the perspective of each operating system, therefore, the operating system operates as if it were running on a separate physical machine having the processor and memory resources to which the logical partition has been allocated.
All of the logical partitions in the computer are under the control of a partition manager. The partition manager is typically a part of the computer firmware and manages the allocation of resources to the operating environments and logical partitions.
Logical partitions on the computer are typically configured by an Information Technology (“IT”) professional that has authority to access the partition manager and configure each logical partition. Logical partitions may also be configured by the manufacturer of the computer. In a typical configuration, the resources of the computer (i.e., processors, memory, use of I/O devices) are spread evenly amongst each logical partition. For example, if the computer has eight processors with four processor cores (i.e., the computer is a 32-way system), the computer may be configured with sixteen logical partitions utilizing two processor cores each. In this way, an operating system configured on a logical partition views the logical partition as a two-way computer system (i.e., each computer system having two processors). Similarly, the computer may be configured with eight logical partitions utilizing one processor (i.e., the logical partition utilizes four processor cores). In this way, an operating system configured on the logical partition views the logical partition as a four-way computer (i.e., a computer having four processors).
The logical partitions configured on many conventional logically partitioned computers generally remain static after configuration. However, this configuration often results in an inefficient use of the resources in the computer. The needs of an operating environment (or software running on the operating environment) typically vary over time. As such, the operating environment often struggles to conform to the configured logical partitions. In the end, the user(s) is typically forced to “shoehorn” data processing into an inadequate logical partition that does not meet resource needs and whose configuration cannot be changed. The operating environment, or applications thereon, configured on that inadequate logical partition is typically starved for resources while other resources in the computer may be unused or underutilized. An operating environment starved for resources is typically associated with a loss of productivity and/or efficiency.
Adjusting the resources allocated to the logical partitions on a logically partitioned computer is often time consuming and laborious. In conventional logical partitioned computers, the partition manager must be accessed directly by the IT professional to adjust the resource allocation to the logical partitions. As such, a user who uses the logically partitioned computer and/or the logical partitions (each of which may be configured with multiple copies of the same software) typically does not have access to the partition manager of the computer. Therefore, adjusting the configuration of the logically partitioned computer (which typically includes adjusting the resources to one or more logical partitions) often requires the user to contact the IT professional, who generally must be physically present at the logically partitioned computer to log into the partition manager and adjust the resources of the logical partitions on the computer. This solution is ungainly and time consuming, especially when the IT professional is located at a remote location from the logically partitioned computer. Additionally, contacting the IT professional often involves significant expense and entails administrative headaches for the user of computer who must wait for the IT professional to adjust the resources to the logical partitions. Compounding these expenses and headaches, the need for adjusting the logical partitions on the computer is typically abated by the time the IT professional arrives, rendering the entire exercise moot.
Adjusting the resources of a logically partitioned computer frequently entails other difficulties because conventional adjustment of the partition resources requires halting all data processing on the logical partitions, reconfiguring all the logical partitions with new resources (including configuring any new logical partitions or removing any old logical partitions), migrating operating environments to new logical partitions (if any), migrating operating environments from logical partitions to be removed (if any), restarting each logical partition, and reconfiguring logical partitions that are part of distributed computing environments back into their distributed computing environments. All these steps are typically performed by the IT professional who may not have any idea about the future processing requirements of the logically partitioned computer. In addition, it may be desired to perform these steps more than once per day. However, it is generally impossible for the IT professional to adjust the resources of the logically partitioned computer in this way multiple times per day. The adjustments to the logical partitions often take critical amounts of time and seriously impact the use of the logically partitioned computer during a downtime associated with the logical partition adjustments. Because data processing is halted, and because the logical partitions cannot be started until all data is migrated to all new logical partitions, this downtime can become severe and leave businesses and/or their customers offline for unacceptable amounts of time.
Consequently, there is a continuing need for improving the adjustment of logical partition resources in a logically partitioned computer so as to minimize the complexity and downtime associated with reallocating resources among the logical partitions.